Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Mysore exports Ganesha idols to abroad

The clay-made Ganesha idols of Mysore city has found to be in demand from even across the seas with the artisans getting orders from NRIs settled in foreign countries. With the Ganesha Chathurthi fast approaching, a large number of NRIs residing abroad are seeking the traditional Mysore Style hand made clay Ganesha idols of our city to have a feel of celebrating festival at hometown.

In such, two families of Mysore are regularly sending about 80 Ganesha idols for foreign countries every year. Interestingly, those who import prefer clay idols without any paint or colouring.
Family of Artist B Srinivas and Revanna, fourth generation artistes are exporting the idols to such far off countries like Holland, West Indies, USA, New Zealand and various other parts of the world. The families are renowned for making Ganesha idols since the time when Mysore was ruled by the Kings.

The orders are taken three months before the festival begins and they handover it to their friends or relatives who in turn send them abroad. While, some of them will be exported by the artists itself through agencies. The idols have already been exported.

B Srinivas, fourth generation artist who exports about 60-70 idols said that from last seven-eight years the demand is increasing year to year. “Even NRI's are aware of celebrating the festival in a eco-friendly way and prefer only painless idols”.

“It is not just Mysoreans settled abroad, but even those settled in other parts of the country wish to worship only our Mysore Ganesha idols, as such the demand is quite good," said Shyam Sundar, son of Srinivas. The family sell about 80 per cent of the clay idols without paint.

Another artist Revanna who gets demand of 8-10 idols said that the traditional Ganesha idols of Mysore has its own distinctive features making it easy to identify with the idols made in other parts of the country, thereby seeking only idols made here in Mysore.